Mulberry Silkworm Silk Cultivation

Timeline

1. c. -3000–200Yellow–Yangtze River basins · ChinaEarly Chinese peoples domesticated wild silkworms and cultivated mulberry trees, developing reeling, weaving, and dyeing techniques; silk became an important material for ritual, dress, and foreign trade from the Zhou and Han onward.
2. 1368–1644Jiangnan silk producing regions · Suzhou PrefectureBy the 1460s Ming Jiangnan sericulture was highly developed; the government set up weaving bureaus to collect silk tribute, while private loom households and weavers divided labor and cooperated, with products like Huzhou silk and Suzhou satin sold at home and abroad.
3. -200–1500Along the overland Silk Road · Silk RoadChinese silk was shipped west via the overland Silk Road to Persia, Rome, and Byzantium, and before the 15th century also reached Southeast Asian and Indian Ocean ports by sea; sericulture techniques reached Byzantium around the 6th century CE.